Storm Brewing
by Wenwalke
Summary: Sometimes Steve could be so dense, for such a smart man, and that gets his partner into trouble.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **A big thank you to rewob17 for all her help with this story, including the beta and title suggestions. Any mistakes left are mine alone.

**Disclaimer: **They don't belong to me no matter how hard I wish for it, so I'll just play with them for a while.

**Summary:** Sometimes Steve could be so dense, for such a smart man, and that gets his partner into trouble.

**Chapter One**

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Danny yelled as he stormed into Steve's office. "Are you deliberately trying to undermine my credibility with HPD?" Sometimes, his I know everything, partner was unbelievable.

"What? Calm down Danny." Steve stood up from behind his desk and raised his hands in a placating gesture, hoping to calm the Jersey Devil now standing in front of him. He had no idea what had set Danny off.

"Calm down? Calm down? I'm not going to calm down, you moron." Danny now paced back and forth in front of Steve's desk. Behind Danny, in the main room, Steve could see Chin and Kono watching with concern.

"So tell me what I've done now, huh?" Steve was at a loss, he didn't know why Danny was so angry. They hadn't had any run-ins with HPD lately, not that he could remember anyway.

"Did you, or did you not talk to Officer Koea a few minutes ago?" Danny was trying very hard to stay calm and not to yell.

"Yes, I did. He called me about a file you requested." Oh. Oh. Steve thought. He'd obviously said something he shouldn't have, but for the life of him he couldn't think what.

"And you couldn't just put him through to me?" Danny asked in a mildly deceptive voice.

"Well no. He called me, not you. And I simply told Officer Koea that it was a mistake and we no longer required the information on Alan Phula." Steve walked slowly around his desk, but stopped well out of Danny's reach.

"A mistake, you told him it was a mistake? No wonder he snickered when I called him to find out why I hadn't received the information I, and I repeat, I requested." Danny paused and looked at Steve curiously for a moment. "Just why do you deem this to be a mistake, may I ask, oh magnanimous leader?" He'd been going over the evidence all morning and Phula was the only viable suspect. Steve didn't even know what he'd found, so how could he tell Koea it was a mistake.

"Because the governor vouched for him, Danny," Steve spoke simply figuring that would calm Danny down, but his words seemed to have the opposite effect.

"Oh, I see. The governor vouching for this guy immediately means that I'm wrong? That all the work I did, and my years of experience mean nothing?" Danny was back to pacing, his voice level rising again.

"Danny that's not what I meant and you know it." Steve was beginning to realise he'd made a big blunder with Koea.

"Do I? Do I, Steven?" Danny now walked directly into Steve personal space and pointed a finger in his chest. "Since when does someone vouching for a suspect mean we stop looking into that person, huh? You don't even know what I found, why I requested more information from HPD."

"Back off, Danny," But it was Steve who stepped back at the look in Danny's eyes. "The guy works for the governor and that's the end of it. I suggest you go cool off then we can get back to looking for viable suspects." The words were out before he even thought about them. The look on Danny's face made him wish he could take them back.

Danny had been about to say something else but he stopped, his mouth open slightly. He stared at Steve for a few seconds; he then turned and exited Steve's office, marching across to his own where he picked up his car keys. With one last look at Steve, then Chin and Kono, Danny left the Five-0 offices without another word.

Steve stared after his partner unsure why Danny had reacted so strongly. Yes, he'd made things worse with his ill timed comments, but what had caused Danny to be so annoyed in the first place? He wiped a hand down his face and sighed deeply. Danny would come around when he'd cooled off. So Officer Koea had laughed, maybe he'd go have a word with him.

Chin and Kono were still watching him, so Steve walked out into the main room and up to the smart table. "I guess you saw and heard all that?

"Yeah, boss." Kono answered.

"You couldn't just take the information?" Chin asked.

"What? Why? We didn't need it. The governor vouched for him." Steve answered puzzled, but Chin was right, he should have just taken what Koea had.

"Maybe so, Steve, but think how that makes Danny look to Officer Koea, especially if you said it was a mistake." Chin approached Steve and put his hand on Steve's arm. Sometimes Steve could be so dense, for such a smart man. "A couple of HPD officers still don't like Danny because he's a Haole. Officer Koea is one of them, and that's why he called you, not Danny. He was trying to go over Danny's head."

"Yeah, I've heard him talking about Danny behind his back." Kono stated. "I put him straight the last time, but I'm not sure it helped."

"Probably not cus, you could even have made it worse, knowing Koea. He'll have resented you, a woman, telling him off."

"I thought everything was good between HPD and Five-0?" Steve asked. He still didn't get what the problem was.

"For the most part, yes it is. Duke runs a tight ship, but there are still people, like Koea, out to get Danny because he's a Haole, and because you pulled him into Five-0." Chin patiently explained.

"Why didn't Danny tell me? Maybe I could have done something." Steve was now genuinely concerned. Danny should have told him if he was having trouble with someone at HPD.

"Usually Danny handles their animosity by ignoring it and that works well. But you just gave Koea what he needs to bad mouth Danny, and believe me; he will be doing just that, right now." Chin explained.

"I'll go have a word with Koea." Steve said as he turned to leave.

"Steve, stop." Chin commanded. "If you go talk to Koea now you'll just make it worse. Let Danny cool off, then make it right with him, forget about Koea."

"Chin's right, Steve," Kono chimed in. "And in the meantime we need to solve this diamond smuggling case the governor wanted solved, yesterday."

Steve looked at the main entrance to Five-0 Headquarters for a few seconds more, willing Danny to come back, then he turned and joined Chin and Kono at the smart table. "Okay, what do we have?"

Danny left Five-0 Headquarters and stormed out to his car. He slid into the driver's seat and cursed under his breath when he had to adjust the seat forward so he could reach the pedals. "Damn Neanderthal control freak." He growled.

Right now he was so mad at Steve he'd had to remove himself from headquarters or he'd say, or do, something that could damage their friendship. As much as Danny was mad, right now, he still valued his friendship with Steve. In hindsight, maybe he should have made Steve aware that certain HPD officers didn't exactly like him. No, he didn't need Steve to fight his battles for him, he was, and could, handle this himself.

Driving at a speed he'd normally tell Steve off for, it didn't take him long to reach HPD where he went looking for Officer Koea. Danny didn't want a confrontation with the officer, and was happy when Koea wasn't at his desk. As he looked around he spotted the file he'd requested sitting in the out tray. He picked it up and walked over to Duke Lukela, "Hey Duke, I'm just taking this file Koea compiled for me as he's not at his desk right now."

"Okay, Danny. But I thought I heard Koea say something about Commander McGarrett not needing the file, that the request was a mistake?" Duke questioned.

"Yeah, well, Commander McGarrett may not think he needs this file, but he's incorrect, we still need it." Danny turned to leave. "Thanks Duke." He said over his shoulder. Apparently Koea was already badmouthing him to anyone who'd listen

"Anytime, Danny," Duke called back as Danny rushed out of the door. Duke frowned, he knew Koea had some kind of an issue with Detective Williams, maybe it was time he had a word with him.

Instead of returning to headquarters, Danny drove to the beach where Kamekona's shrimp truck was parked. He knew he needed time to cool off and it was almost lunchtime. Besides he could read the file while he ate.

The big guy wasn't there, but his cousin, Flippa, was. "Howsit, Danny. You want a shrimp plate to go?"

"Yeah, but I'll eat it here. Give me coconut water too, please." Danny handed Flippa the money for his order, then took the file he had tucked under his arm over to a picnic table. He settled down and started to read while he waited for his food.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Glad everyone likes this story. Time for Danny to team up with Kono.

**Chapter Two**

They were getting nowhere fast. Every lead they tried to follow led to a dead end. "Steve, maybe we should check out what Danny found on Phula? We have nothing else." Chin suggested.

"Yeah, maybe we should." Steve agreed. Then he smiled as Kono's stomach growled. "Maybe you should go get us some lunch, Kono." He said.

"Sure, boss." Kono bounced over to her office, coming back out with her car keys. "You want shrimp?"

"I could eat shrimp," Chin said.

"Me, too," Steve agreed as he reached into his pocket for his wallet. "Here, I'll pay," He handed Kono some money. "Pick up something for Danny too. I'm sure he'll be back soon." Just maybe, Danny would come around if Steve actually paid for lunch, instead of pretending he didn't have his wallet as he normally did.

"Make it fast, Kono." Chin chimed in. "There's a tropical storm moving our way. It was supposed to veer to the west, but didn't change direction as thought, and will now brush past Oahu."

"How long?" Kono asked.

"A couple of hours according to this," Chin answered as he swiped up a weather map onto the big screen. The map showed a huge storm not far from the south shore of Oahu. "It could be sooner though."

Kono waved and left, checking the sky as she jogged to her vehicle. There were definite signs of the storm over on the horizon. Still, she should have their food and be back inside headquarters long before the storm hit the island.

The first thing she noticed when she arrived at Kamekona's truck was Danny's Camaro parked in the lot. Danny sat at one of the picnic tables eating a shrimp plate and intently reading a file he had spread out over the table. Kono smiled, so Danny had gone and got the file from HPD. That made sense, she knew he'd not let it go when he was on the trail of a lead. The second thing she noticed was that Flippa was closing up.

"Hey, Danny," Kono sat down across from Danny and stole a shrimp off his plate. A hand came out to slap hers away, but Kono was too quick and licked off her fingers as she enjoyed the shrimp.

"This is my lunch, Kalakaua, get your own." Danny growled.

"I would, but it looks like Flippa closed up because of the approaching storm." Kono stole another shrimp while Danny was preoccupied looking at the approaching weather.

"What?" Danny looked at the, now closed, shrimp truck then at Kono. "There's a storm coming in? I thought it was supposed to pass by?"

"It was, but it didn't change direction." Kono slipped another shrimp into her mouth while Danny was looking out to sea again, the storm now clearly visible.

"How long, 'till it hits?" Danny started pulling the papers back into the file, his shrimp plate forgotten for the moment.

"A couple of hours, maybe," Kono replied her mouth full of another shrimp.

"Hey, I told you, buy your own lunch and quit eating mine." This time Danny managed to slap Kono's hand away as she reached for yet another shrimp.

"I would've if Flippa hadn't closed up. Besides, Steve was buying lunch today."

"Huh? Mr. I Forgot My Wallet, actually gave you money to buy lunch?" Danny said in amazement.

"Yes, he did, and he told me to buy you lunch, too, as he was sure you'd be back." A look came and went from Danny's face before Kono could catch what it meant.

"Well, he thought wrong. I'm going to find Phula and question him about the smuggling operation. This file makes very interesting reading. Phula is in this whole thing up to his neck, and regardless of what Commander McGarrett thinks, he needs to explain himself." Danny stood to leave as Kono finished off the rest of his lunch. "He has access to the governor's boat anytime he wants, and he's taken it out numerous times without the governor aboard."

"Hey, where are you going? I'll come with," Kono quickly deposited the plate in the garbage and ran after Danny who was already at the Camaro. Steve and Chin could wait for their lunch Danny needed backup right now, so that's what she'd do in Steve's absence.

"You sure you want to do that? The governor vouched for this guy and he'll not be happy I investigated him anyway, and neither will Super SEAL."

"Doesn't matter, I trust your instincts." Kono picked up the file and started reading as Danny drove out of the parking lot.

"Nice to know someone does," Danny muttered.

Danny didn't know exactly where Phula would be, so he drove by his house first. There was no car parked in the driveway, and no one answered Danny's knock. With a storm coming in Kono figured the marina where the governor's boat was moored would be a safe bet for their next location as Phula would surely be there to make sure the boat was secured properly.

"Were you going to go question Phula on your own, Danny?" Kono questioned as they drove towards Waikiki Marina where the governor kept his boat moored. "Or would you have called HPD for backup, if not Steve?"

"You think I've been around, 'we don't need backup, McGarrett' for too long?" Danny looked sideways at Kono and smiled. "I had every intention of calling Duke for backup."

"Good, but you could have called Chin, or me, if you didn't want to talk to Steve."

Danny ignored the questioning look Kono was giving him and continued driving towards the marina. On route he called Duke and requested a blue and white meet them to provide backup. Neither teammate spoke until they pulled into the parking lot and discovered an HPD cruiser park by the marina entrance.

"Looks like our backup beat us here." Kono said.

"So where are they?" Danny asked as he got out of the Camaro and walked over to the empty cruiser.

The wind had picked up considerably in the time it had taken them to drive from Phula's house to the marina. As Kono glanced out over the harbour she realised that the tropical storm was coming in fast, now only minutes away. They needed to get this over with and head for safer ground soon.

"I don't like this. They should have waited here for us." Kono moved towards the governor's boat her gun already in her hand.

Danny pulled his own gun and increased his speed to catch up with Kono. "Slow down, Kono, I have a bad feeling about this."

"Me too, but that storm is getting too close. We need to do this and get away from the water. This boat is not secured properly and will be tossed around by the winds." Kono indicated the mooring ropes loosely tied off to the dock.

Danny figured if Phula was here it was not to do his job, but for something else.

Quietly, the two teammates approached the boat. The closer they got, the more Danny's gut told him something was very wrong. No sounds emanated from the boat, and there was no sign of any HPD officers. Danny used hand signals to direct Kono as they cleared the upper deck. They had to grab hold of the side rails, more than once, to keep from falling as the boat pitched in the rising swells. Once the upper deck was clear they crept down the stairs to the lower deck.

"Chin, is Kono not back yet?" Steve asked as he appeared in the door to Danny's office where Chin had been going over Danny's research. Steve's face was white and there was a look of worry in his eyes. "I think something's happened to Danny. I can feel he's hurt in some way, and he's not answering his phone." When a wave of pain had hit a few moments ago, Steve had immediately tried to call Danny, somehow knowing that he was hurt.

"What? No, Kono's not back yet. How longs it been?" Chin glanced at his watch as he spoke. He'd lost track of time as he read the information Danny had accumulated on Phula.

"Well over an hour. She should have been back ages ago. I think she's with Danny." Why had he let Danny storm away like that. He should have just listened, Danny was his partner and he should have trusted his instincts. Now he knew something was wrong and he wasn't there when he should have been.

"You're sure about Danny?" At Steve's nod, Chin continued. "I'll give Kono a call, Steve." Chin pulled his phone out, but before he could hit speed dial it started ringing in his hand.

As a picture of Kono lit up the screen Chin put the call on speaker so Steve could hear. "Hey cus, I was just about to call you."

"Chin, we need help. We're pinned down, and Danny's hurt." Kono's voice was fast and full of fear, something Chin had a hard time associating with his cousin.

"What?" Chin pushed passed a stunned Steve and headed for the exit doors. "Where are you Kono and what happened to Danny?"

"We're at Waikiki Marina, Chin." There was a burst of gunfire, then only static as the call dropped. Chin started to run now, desperate to reach his cousin, Steve kept pace beside him as they headed to Steve's truck.

Steve and Chin sped towards the marina but their progress was slowed by the volume of traffic trying to outrun the incoming storm. Chin sat braced in his seat, holding on for dear life, as Steve wove his way around cars that were using the wrong side of the road to flee inland.

"This side should have been clear. We should not have to be dodging around cars." Steve growled. "Come on, come on, come on, get out of the way," Steve was fast losing any patience he may have had. Danny was in trouble, hurt, and he wasn't there to have his back. All because he'd been too dense to realise that he should have trusted his partner.

Chin called Duke for assistance as soon as they reached Steve's truck, but HPD was busy with the evacuation from all the beaches and couldn't send help right away. But Duke did tell them that a blue and white had already been dispatched to the docks per Danny's request thirty minutes ago.

Finally, they arrived at the marina and parked next to the Camaro. They had to fight against the winds whipping in from the sea, throwing boats up against their docks, some already damaged by the storm. They ran onto the dock, guns drawn, only to find the governor's boat half submerged in the water, and no sign of Danny or Kono.

**TBC**

**A/N: **Well I did manage to get to the end of chapter two before I whumped Danny and left you with a cliffhanger, but you all knew it just had to happen, right?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Love the reviews, thank you to everyone who left one. It's time to find out what actually happened to Danny and Kono.

**Chapter Three**

Danny was ahead of Kono as they descended the stairs at the rear of the boat. Before them was a large living area with comfortable chairs, a table, and a bar to the right. Across the room was a hallway with cabin doors on either side, only one, on the left, was open. But what really caught Danny's attention was the body of Officer Koea lying a few feet away, his eyes staring sightlessly up at the cabin ceiling.

From the sharp intake of breath besides him, Danny knew that Kono had also realised that Koea was dead. The bullet hole in his chest, over his heart, meant the man had no chance.

The boat was rocking violently now, and it was an effort simply to remain standing. A slight movement, over by the open cabin door had Danny raising his gun. Kono had also seen the movement and her gun came up as well. She had a better view of that side of the hallway from her position to the right of Danny. Alan Phula was hiding in the cabin, a semi-automatic in his hands aimed at the Five-0 officers.

Kono fired off a couple of quick shots, one caught Phula in his left arm causing his aim to go awry. It was that which saved their lives. A spray of automatic weapons fire traced across the front of the bar towards them as Pula fought to correct his aim.

Danny didn't even think about what he needed to do, he just acted. The only place that would offer them any kind of cover was the bar. He leapt to his right, knocking Kono down behind the bar, and landing in a heap on top of her. Pain flared all down his left side, but he rolled off Kono and came up firing at Phula.

Kono was up and firing seconds behind Danny, but neither managed to hit Phula again, the movement of the boat making it impossible to hit anything, unless by accident.

"Five-0, give it up Phula, you've nowhere to go." Kono yelled.

"I told the other cop that tried to muscle in on my operation, I don't need partners. Look at where it got him, huh." Phula yelled back.

"So that's why Koea was here before us, and alone." Danny mused as the pain down his left side intensified. "He wanted in on Phula's operation. I didn't think he was a bad cop?"

"Yeah, I didn't think so either, but it looks that way," Kono said as she grunted with pain from where her shoulder hit the floor when Danny tackled her.

"Kono, are you okay?" Danny managed to ask as he slid down to a seated position, his back to the wall behind the bar. He'd stayed up as long as he could, but now he didn't have the strength anymore. His phone vibrated in his pocket, but there was no way he could reach it.

"Yeah, I'm okay Danny, just a bruise." Kono fired a couple more shots, then realised that Danny was no longer beside her. She looked around and saw him on the floor, a pool of blood forming next to his left leg. "You're hit? Let me see." Kono knelt down next to Danny.

Bar towels lay in heaps on the floor where they had fallen from the shelves under the bar. Kono was thankful that all the glassware was secured behind closed doors, but she knew that could change as the storm got stronger. They needed to get out of here.

She grabbed a towel and pressed it to the wound in Danny's left thigh, causing Danny to suck in a hissed breath. "We need to get out of here Danny. The storm hasn't reached its peak yet, and this boat is not going to withstand these winds. It feels like the mooring ropes are already coming loose."

"Can't, Kono," Danny breathed. His right hand came up to press against his shoulder. It was then Kono realised that Danny had multiple gunshot wounds all down his left side. Several had been caught by the vest he wore, but she could see the blood flowing from one in his shoulder, another just below his vest, the one in his thigh, and yet another in his lower leg.

The boat pitched again and Kono fought to stay upright. Danny's right hand came off his shoulder and caught Kono, saving her from falling. Once she was stabilized, Danny picked up his gun and held it loosely on his lap. "Go get help, Kono. I'll be alright here."

"No, I'm not leaving you. Steve wouldn't leave you behind, so neither will I." Kono pulled out her phone and called Chin.

"Chin, we need help. We're pinned down, and Danny's hurt." Danny heard only Kono's side of the call. "We're at the marina, Chin." But Phula took that moment to open fire again. He'd come out of the cabin and stood braced in the middle of the floor. His aim was terrible, due to the movement of the boat. The bullets traced along the wall above the bar heading for the two teammates. Kono lost her phone as she dove to the right pulling Danny down to the floor with her.

Danny's left side screamed in pain as he landed on it, but he maintained his grip on the gun in his right hand. Kono still had her back to the bar and therefore couldn't see Phula as he staggered to the side as the boat pitched again, giving Danny a clear shot. Danny raised his gun and emptied the bullets he had left in the direction of Phula. He had no control over his aim as the boat still pitched violently, volume, rather than accuracy would just have to do the job. Somehow, at least one bullet found Phula and he fell, dropping his gun in the process.

Kono rolled away from Danny and came up to her knees, gun at the ready. "Wow," she said as she watched Phula fall. "Great shooting, Danny," Kono carefully moved over to Phula and removed the gun, then checked that he was truly dead.

"Luck, Kono, sheer luck." Danny holstered his gun and pushed himself along the floor, trying to get closer to the stairs. "We need to get out, Kono."

"I'm with you," Kono said as she started to move over to help Danny up.

All hell broke loose after that. The boat pitched violently again, sending Kono to her right away from Danny. The stern came away from the dock, the mooring rope pulling free. The wind whipped the boat around and threw it back at the dock causing a hole below the waterline on the left side. Water immediately rushed in pulling the stern down into the water.

Inside the lower cabin anything that was not fastened down was thrown around violently.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Wasn't able to reply to all the reviews today, but I do really appreciate each and every one.

**Chapter Four**

Kono fell and rolled under the table managing to grab hold of the leg anchored to the floor, thus saving herself from being thrown around like a rag doll.

Danny had reached the bottom of the staircase when he felt the boat move. He slid passed the stairs, then slid back, ending up in almost the same position he started in. He thought he'd been lucky, until everything that was loose in the cabin came crashing down on him.

"Danny, are you alright?" Kono slowly released her hold on the table leg. The boat rocked still, but the violence from before was gone as the stern settled further into the water.

The bottom of the staircase was now a jumble of everything from the cabin. At first she couldn't see Danny, but then a slight movement sent her rushing over to the mess.

The bar, weakened by all the bullet holes it sustained, had collapsed when Koea's body collided with it during the turmoil. Now he laid splayed out, eyes still staring. Somehow, Phula had ended up on top of Danny's lower half pinning him to the wall, the collapsed bar on top of them both.

Kono moved as much of the loose debris away from Danny as she could. Her attempt at moving Phula resulted in a cry of pain from Danny.

"You need to move the bar first," Danny gasped.

"Right," Kono planted her foot on the wall above Danny and pulled on the bar as hard as she could, nothing happened. "I can't budge it, Danny."

"Its okay, Kono, go, get help." Danny's eyes were closed as he fought through the pain. Phula's body was pressing directly on the wound blow his vest, and while Danny figured that helped to stop the bleeding, it didn't help with his pain level, at all. He could see the jagged edges of the bar piercing Phula's body and was thankful the man had ended up on top of him, protecting him from certain death.

"No, the water will reach you soon and I have to get you out." Kono had now removed Koea's body from the bar and was, once again, desperately trying to unpin Danny. "Steve will never forgive me if I leave you behind." She whispered.

"He'll understand, Kono. Go, please." To Kono, Danny seemed resigned to dying on this boat, and there was no way, she was going to let that happen.

"No, I'm not leaving," Kono raised her voice in frustration. Releasing the bar she went in search of something to help her. But there was nothing she could use as a lever. In the cabin where Phula had been hiding Kono found a small case that must have held diamonds, now they lay spread out all over the floor. So that was why Phula had been on the boat, not to secure it, but to save his diamonds. In that same cabin she found the only other thing that could save Danny, a scuba tank.

Grabbing the mask that was with the tank, Kono rushed back to Danny, closing the cabin door behind her. She wanted to keep the diamonds secure in the cabin, after all they were evidence.

The water was already starting to flow down the stairs behind Danny and he was trying to push his upper half away from the rising water. As Kono reached him Danny lost his battle and fell back, his head dropping blow the surface. Kono reached down and pulled him up, sliding behind him to place his head against her chest, her body deflecting the water to either side. This position was obviously painful for Danny, but it was necessary for the moment.

"Here," Kono said as she slid the mask over Danny's head positioning it over his eyes and nose. "I have a scuba tank. You just need to use your mouth to breathe and Steve and Chin will get us out."

"I don't think I can do this." Danny said as Kono readied the tank.

"Yes, you, can. You can do it for me, for Steve, and most of all for Grace." Kono held the mouthpiece out for Danny to take.

Danny heard the determination in Kono's voice. There was no way she was going to let him die, which reminded him of his partner. If he died, Steve would blame himself because of the argument they'd had. So Kono was right, he had to do this, he had to get back to Steve and Grace.

The water was rising faster now as Danny took the offered mouthpiece. "I'll do this Kono, but you have to get out, before the stairs are completely blocked."

"No, I'll stay until Steve and Chin arrive. I can swim out, no problem, brah." Kono moved Danny's right hand towards his mouth. He got the hint and put the mouthpiece in, now breathing the air from the tank.

Kono lay Danny back down under the water. The position was more comfortable for him, but she maintained her grip on his right hand. She knew that eventually she'd have to let go, especially when the water got so high that she'd have to move higher up the cabin. But she could still see Danny through the water and he looked at her with such trust, that she prayed Steve and Chin arrived soon to get him out, she didn't want to break that trust.

Steve fell to his knees on the dock, "Oh God, Chin. Danny's dead. They're both dead, and it's all, my, fault. I should have listened to him."

Chin placed his hand on Steve's shoulder. "They're not dead, Steve. I'd know if Kono was dead, just like you'd know if Danny was. You said you felt that Danny was hurt, did you feel him die? Because you would, with the connection you two have."

"What? No, I didn't feel him die, but yes, I do feel that he's hurt, and Kono told us he was." Steve looked up, hope filled his eyes. "He's here, somewhere close by." Steve stood. "Danny! Kono!" he called out as loud as he could while spinning around on the dock.

"Kono!" Chin called joining in, but their words were blown away by the wind. It was getting harder to stand as they were buffeted, but neither man even thought about giving up and leaving.

"Chin, I'm going to check the boat, they could be trapped." Steve moved along the dock towards the bow of the boat. Fighting against the wind he reached out and grabbed the railing, thus pulling himself onboard.

Chin was close behind him and pointed to the open window of the main cabin at the front. "It's big enough. We can get in through there."

"Yeah, it beats diving down looking for the stairs." Steve agreed. The incline of the boat would make it hard to come out the same way, but Steve didn't care right now. He was certain that Danny was somewhere on this boat, and he was going to find him, if it was the last thing he did.

It was impossible to walk in the cabin as the floor sloped so much, so Steve slid down to the closed door, Chin right behind him. The door opened easily and Chin pushed it back so it would stay open.

Kono heard the door open and looked up to see her two teammates peering down at her. "Am I glad to see you guys," she said with a sigh of relief. "Come down the left side, Danny's trapped on the right." She warned as Steve started to slide down towards her.

Carefully, Steve slid down to the left of Kono, "Danny's trapped? Where is he?"

"He's here," Kono indicated the water where she stood, her hand still holding on to Danny's.

"What?" Steve had reached the table and now slipped into the water.

"I found a scuba tank, so he can breathe, but he's hurt pretty bad. Four bullet wounds, that I could see," Steve moved around Kono as she turned and caught Chin's hand as he slid into the water beside her.

The water had reached chest high now, so Steve crouched down under water to assess the situation. He could see Danny watching him, but talking was out of the question. He locked eyes with his partner trying to convey his belief that he would get him out of this situation. The relief he saw in Danny's eyes caused his heart to beat even faster.

After assessing the situation, Steve realised that moving the bar was the first thing they needed to do, so he tested the weight and figured it would take both Chin and himself to lift it. He gave Danny a thumps up sign, a reassuring smile, and stood back up.

"Okay, we need to lift the bar and pull Danny out at the same time." Steve got right to the point after he'd sucked in a much needed breath. "The angles all wrong, but we need to do this before the water gets any higher."

"Right," Chin agreed. "How do we do this?" he asked.

"You stand, feet either side of Danny, closest to the bar. I'll stand behind you and reach past you. I think I have the longer arms. We lift on three." Chin moved into position. "Kono, you need to pull Danny out as soon as we lift. I don't know how long we'll be able to hold it up. Is that Phula on top of Danny?"

Kono nodded as she prepared to crouch down.

"Alright, on three," Steve said as he moved behind Chin. "One, two, three," Both men pulled up as hard as they could, but nothing happened.

**TBC**

**A/N: ** Did you really think it would be that easy? But with the rear of the boat already submerged Steve better get Danny out of there soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Time to get Danny out from under the bar, don't you think?

**Chapter Five**

Steve managed to change his position to besides Chin, so he could get move leverage. It was harder to stand that way as the boat was now at a forty-five degree angle. But there was no way Steve could let Danny stay underwater any longer. They tried again, on the count of three, and this time it worked, the bar moved.

Kono crouched down again as Steve counted to three for the second time. She slid her hands under Danny's armpits and pulled. At first nothing seemed to happen, then like a cork from a bottle, Danny's body pulled out. Phula stayed behind, caught on the jagged edges of the broken bar.

As Danny's feet passed beneath them, both Steve and Chin released the bar and let if fall back onto Phula. He was dead and not their concern right now. Steve turned, took a breath, and crouched down to help Kono. Between them they lifted Danny up and the mouth piece was pulled out as he rose to the surface, the scuba tank remained behind. With his head out of the water Danny stood balanced on his right leg, and Steve pulled him in to rest against him.

Kono stood, breathing heavily. She'd been under longer than her air supply lasted. But she smiled as she saw Steve pull Danny in against him. They'd be all right she knew they would get past their argument.

Chin moved around Steve and Danny and caught Kono as she almost fell. "Easy, cus, breathe slowly." He soothed as he hugged her too him.

Danny watched as his three friends tried to free him. He'd known that Steve would come. He always came when Danny needed him, and right now he really needed him badly. The relief he felt on seeing Steve appear in front of him was immense and Danny knew that Steve could see it in his eyes. The feelings of panic at being enclosed had been rising for the last few minutes, and were now reduced at the sight of his partner.

He'd known that Kono couldn't move the bar by herself. With the weather outside no other help would be coming anytime soon. He figured that either he'd bleed to death, or the air would run out, or he'd have a full blown panic attack brought on by his claustrophobia. But now that Steve and Chin and arrived to help Kono, he knew they'd free him.

It had hurt like hell when Kono grabbed him under his shoulders and pulled. Danny had to briefly close his eyes, but they flew open again as he felt Steve grab onto him and pull him up. He let the mouth piece fall out just before he reached the surface and managed to stand awkwardly on his right leg. He leaned against Steve as he was pulled in, not having the strength to stay upright by himself. Lethargy filled him, he had no strength to raise his hand and take off the annoying face mask Kono had put on him.

The water had risen almost to Danny's neck height in the time it had taken to get him out, and Steve looked around trying to figure out how to get them out of there. "I don't think we can go back out the way we came in, Chin."

"No, Steve. It's too steep now; we'll never get back up." Chin answered also looking around the cabin.

"We need to go down, through the stairs, and out." Kono said now she'd gotten her breathing back under control. "I'll get the scuba tank for Danny." She quickly ducked back under the water and reappeared seconds later with the mouth piece in one hand, the scuba tank held in the other.

Steve eased Danny away from him, pushing him higher up the sloping floor, further out of the water. He'd just realised that the water was tinged with a lot of red, and Danny was almost melting into him hardly standing on his own at all.

"Danny, Danny, open your eyes and look at me," Steve demanded as he removed the face mask to get a better look at his partner.

Danny blinked his eyes open, "Tired," he muttered.

"Stay awake," Steve started to remove Danny's vest, he needed to get a better look at the bullet wounds. There were two bullets lodged in the left side of the vest. "Chin, we need to stop this bleeding, he's losing too much blood."

"Right," Chin said as he helped Steve remove the vest then held Danny in position while Steve assessed the extent of Danny's injuries.

"Use this, Steve." Kono said as she made to pass Steve a table cloth that floated in the water having come off the table. "No wait, give me your knife, I'll cut it up."

Steve nodded and passed his knife to Kono, never really taking his eyes off Danny. Now the vest was gone and he'd undone Danny's dress shirt, he could see the shoulder wound clearly. It was bleeding sluggishly, so Steve moved on to the wound in Danny's side. It was a through and through, unlike the shoulder wound, and it was bleeding steadily. There were also impressive bruises forming over Danny's ribs from where the vest had caught the two bullets.

"Here," Kono said as she passed Steve a strip of cloth.

"I need something to pack this wound with." Steve requested.

Kono had another strip, so she passed that to Steve who used it to pack the front of the wound, then as Kono passed him another strip he packed that into the exit wound. Using the first strip he tied it as tightly around Danny as he could to hold the packing in place.

The next two strips were wrapped around Danny's thigh and lower leg. Both those wounds were through and through as well.

Finally, Steve moved back to Danny's left shoulder. He used part of the table cloth to pack the wound, and wrapped another strip around the shoulder. Then he re-buttoned Danny's shirt.

Danny had watched as Steve bandaged the wound to his side. But soon the pain was too much and he closed his eyes to try and mitigate the pain level. After that he'd kept his eyes closed throughout the whole process of bandaging the other wounds, only opening them again when Steve was finished.

The storm could still be heard howling outside, and while the boat had become more stable the lower it sank into the water, each of the teammates knew that they couldn't stay where they were. If the bow rope gave way as the stern rope had, the boat would sink to the bottom.

"Chin, you and Kono swim out first. I'll bring Danny and be right behind you." Steve started to put the face mask back over Danny's head, but Danny pushed it away and shook his head. "It'll help Danny."

Danny shook his head again, "No I don't need it."

Steve's look of assessment ended in a nod of agreement as Danny held eye contact with him. "Okay." Steve finally agreed. "Kono, help me put the tank on, I'll be able to manage better if I don't have to carry the tank as well as help Danny."

"Okay, I'll hold Danny in place while you let Kono help you with the tank." Chin said as he switched places with Steve. "You okay Danny?" Chin asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." Danny breathed.

"I doubt that's true." Chin chided, "but I'll let it go for now."

It didn't take long for Steve to remove his vest and Kono to help him strap the tank to his back. He then moved to Danny and took over from Chin. "Alright, you two go first." He said.

"We'll see you on the other side," Kono said as she and Chin each removed their vests and moved to where the stairs were. With a last look at the two partners, Chin and Kono dove down and swam out through the stairs and reached the surface. The storm was still raging fiercely and it was hard for them to tread water. But neither made any attempt to swim to the dock, they needed to wait for Danny and Steve.

Once the cousins submerged, Steve offered Danny the mouthpiece to the scuba tank. "Let me do all the work, Danny. You just need to float along beside me, okay?"

"Okay," Danny inserted the mouthpiece and Steve moved them to the stairs. After a couple of deep breaths Steve pulled Danny under and they swam into the stairway. They were almost out when the scuba tank strapped to Steve's back caught on the stair rail halting them abruptly.

Steve fought to release the tank from where it was caught, but to no avail. He knew he'd have to take the tank off, it was the only way to get it loose, but his air was starting to run out and the straps were not releasing. He felt for his knife, but Kono hadn't given it back to him. His last desperate move was to push Danny away and towards the surface not far above them.

**TBC**

**A/N: **There we go again with another of the pesky cliffhangers, but this times it's Steve in trouble.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Danny hung on to Steve as they submerged and swam into the stairway. He was content to allow Steve to pull him along as he lacked the strength to swim by himself. The jolt when they abruptly stopped caused an intense wave of pain down his entire left side. He scrunched his eyes shut, but then he could feel the frenetic movements as Steve fought to release the straps holding the tank and opened his eyes. The desperate look in Steve eyes, and then the push meant to propel him to the surface shocked him.

But instead of rising to the surface Danny pulled the regulator from his own mouth and thrust it at Steve forcing it into his partner's mouth. Then he forced his left arm to work and set about releasing the tank straps so he could free Steve. He knew he didn't have long, he'd run out of air pretty rapidly.

The rush of air into his mouth revived Steve quickly. He saw Danny still in front of him trying to get the tank off, and was briefly annoyed that he hadn't risen to the surface. Then he was thankful, because it had to be Danny who'd put the regulator in his mouth.

Steve pulled the mouthpiece out and caught Danny's right hand forcing him to take the regulator. He indicated that Danny should put it in his mouth, at the same time he went to work on the tank strap buckle again. Finally he felt the buckle release, and once the tank was free he took hold of Danny and pulled him up with him to the surface. The regulator was pulled from Danny's mouth as they rose and both men gasped in air as they broke the surface.

The noise from the storm was deafening, so Chin used hand signals to indicate to Steve that he'd help him get Danny over to the dock and then up the ladder.

Danny would like to have climbed up by himself, but he knew he didn't have the strength, so he allowed his friends to help him.

In the end Chin put him over his left shoulder, and Steve helped push from below. Kono, who and gone up first, helped Chin lower Danny down to the dock as soon as he reached the top of the ladder. Soon all three teammates were kneeling beside Danny, all breathing heavily.

Danny, who had closed his eyes during the trip up the ladder, opened them and smiled. "Thanks, guys." He whispered before his eyes closed again.

The wind pushed against them as the storm intensified. "We need to get out of this weather, Steve." Chin yelled so he could be heard.

"Let's get him to the truck. The first aid kit is under the front passenger seat." Steve yelled back.

Kono and Chin each nodded. Chin helped Steve as he picked Danny up to carry him to the truck. Kono ran on ahead and opened the back door, then ran around to the other side to help Steve load Danny in. By the time they were all in, Chin sat in the drivers seat, Kono in the passenger seat and Steve sat in the back almost sideways on the seat behind the driver. Danny's upper body rested against Steve's chest, his legs across the rest of the seat. Once the doors were closed the noise level dropped and they didn't have to yell anymore.

Kono retrieved the first aid kit from under the passenger seat and passed it to Chin, who opened it on his lap. She turned so she was kneeling on her seat, ready to help Steve with Danny's wounds. "What do you want first, Steve." Chin asked.

"Pressure dressing, we need to get this bleeding under control."

Steve and Kono worked together to tend the side and shoulder wound. Kono would remove the strip of tablecloth from a wound; Steve would immediately apply a pressure dressing. Danny didn't open his eyes throughout the whole process, but they knew he was awake because he groaned, or inhaled sharply, when Steve applied a dressing. Kono then went to work on the two leg wounds, and by the time she was finished, Danny was shaking from the pain and the wet clothes he still wore.

"Kono, there's a blanket under the back seat. Do you think you can reach it?" Steve pulled Danny in closer, trying to impart some of his own warmth to his partner. "We need to keep him warm, he's going into shock."

"I can get it Steve." Kono went from kneeling on the passenger seat, to leaning between the two front seats, her head and arms on the floor. She grunted as she pulled out the blanket and thrust it up at Steve, one handed. "Going to need a little help to get back up, Chin."

"Okay, I got you cus." Chin said as he slid his right arm under Kono's body and grasped her shoulder with his left hand. "Ready? I'll pull up on three; you push with your arms, one, two, three."

Once Kono was upright again, she immediately tucked the blanket in around Steve and Danny. Steve had covered his partner, but Kono knew that if the blanket was tucked it would warm up more. "Is there anything else we can do, Steve?" Kono asked when she was finished.

"No, not here, we need to get him to a hospital, and quickly." Steve replied.

Chin started the truck as he spoke, "Queen's Medical is the closest. There's a lot of debris flying about, I'll have to take it easy. Kono, you watch on your side, we don't need to hit anything."

Their progress was slow, much too slow for Steve. Danny lay quietly against him. He'd ceased the constant shaking but would still shiver and groan whenever Chin jerked the truck as he avoided debris.

"You're going to be okay, Danny." Steve whispered. "We'll be at Queen's soon and they'll take care of you. Just hold on a little longer." When Danny didn't reply, Steve moved the tousled blond head back a little so he could get a better look at Danny's face.

The partner's eyes met and they stared at each other for a few seconds, each reading what the other was thinking. There was no need for words.

"Not going anywhere, babe," Danny breathed. "And it's not your fault, so get rid of the guilt face, okay?"

"For the last time, I do not have a face, and how is this not my fault? I wasn't there when you needed me because I was too stubborn to listen to you."

"True, but you …" Danny wasn't able to finish what he'd been about to say as Chin swerved to miss a falling street light, and the truck crashed into a parked car.

**TBC**

**A/N: **So I couldn't resist it, had to put in another cliffhanger.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Time to get them to the hospital.

**Chapter Seven**

It was deathly quiet in the truck. Kono was the first to recover, "Chin, you okay?" She asked as she released her seatbelt and reached over to her cousin.

"Yes, I'm okay, what about you?" Chin also released his seatbelt and the cousins looked at each other. Kono had an abrasion on the right side of her forehead from an impact with the side window airbag. Chin also had an abrasion on his left cheek from the airbag that had deployed from the steering wheel.

Kono turned quickly to the back seat. "Steve!" Neither man in the back had been wearing a seatbelt. Now they were both slumped on the floor of the truck.

Steve slid forward as the truck suddenly stopped, taking Danny with him. Somehow he'd managed to hold onto Danny, cushioning him as they fell. So now Steve sat sideways, his back against the door, and Danny lay turned on his right side on top of him, facing the rear seat.

"They're both unconscious, Chin." Kono said as she turned and knelt on her seat.

Chin pushed the airbag out of his way as he spoke to Kono. "The hospital's only a couple of blocks down the road. The trucks still running, I think it will make it that far. You climb into the back seat and see if you can do anything for Steve and Danny."

Kono climbed through the front seat onto the back seat and turned to look at the two men. Danny looked alright, but his pulse was weak when Kono felt it at his neck, he was also unconscious. Steve had blood running down the side of his face from a cut to the left side of his head. "Steve?" Kono patted Steve's cheek. There was a groan from the SEAL, but no other response.

Meanwhile, Chin successfully backed the truck up and started towards the hospital. He could see the entrance not that far away, but the truck had something wrong with the right front wheel, and was hard to drive. It would take a while to reach the hospital.

"I can't wake Steve, Chin." Kono looked ahead, the hospital was nearer now. "He hit his head and is bleeding, a lot."

"Almost there, cus." Chin calmly said.

Chin pulled up as close to the ER doors as he could, the wind outside made it hard for him to open his door, but he managed to slip out and let the wind close it behind him as he ran through the ER doors and called for help.

Soon, two gurneys, three orderlies, two nurses, and one doctor were at the back door of Steve's truck. Chin fought to hold the door open. He hung onto the door handle and leaned back against the wind as the orderlies pulled Steve out first.

Chin couldn't see the doctor's face but he looked familiar somehow. Steve was quickly examined then the doctor yelled so the nurse by him could hear over the wind. "Take him straight to x-ray, I want a full series done on his head and neck." The nurse and one orderly rushed Steve into the hospital.

Meanwhile, Danny was removed from the truck. The doctor examined Danny next and instructed the orderlies to take him to exam room two.

By the time Kono had exited the truck, and Chin allowed the door to slam shut, the gurney carrying Danny had disappeared into the hospital.

Kono and Chin looked at each other. "You go in, Kono. I have to move the truck. I'll be right there. They'll both be okay." Kono simply nodded and, fighting against the wind, ran to the door and entered the hospital.

Chin moved the truck into the parking area reserved for police vehicles, locking it up securely. It may be badly damaged, but it still needed to be secured until Steve decided what to do with it now. He then went in search of Kono and any news on Danny and Steve.

The Five-0 team were well known at Queen's Medical Center, so instead of having to wait in the ER waiting room, Chin and Kono were allowed to wait in the On Call lounge. The nurse that led them to the room returned with a set of scrubs for each of them and suggested they clean up in the adjoining bathroom while they waited.

It was an hour later before the same nurse came back to tell them that Danny was holding his own and had been taken for surgery, also that the doctor treating Steve would be in to see them soon.

"Mahalo," Chin replied with a smile.

As promised, the doctor who had seen both men on arrival walked into the room ten minutes later. Both Chin and Kono stood to greet him.

"I knew you looked familiar," Chin said before the doctor could speak. "But aren't you in the wrong hospital?"

"No, I have credentials to work here as well as Tripler, today I was needed here more than there." Doctor Scott said. He'd treated both Steve and Danny before and knew the team fairly well.

"How are they, doc?" Kono asked before the doctor could say any more.

"Officer Kalakaua," The doctor smiled at Kono. "Commander McGarrett is doing well. Still unconscious I'm afraid. You said there was an accident and the Commander slid sideways off the rear seat of the truck?"

"Yes," Chin shook the doctor's hand as they all settled into chairs to continue their discussion.

"Well, he has a severe concussion, but the x-rays are clear. I have him in a soft collar as there will be some muscle trauma to his neck." Doctor Scott looked at this watch. "They should have him moved to a room fairly soon, you can see him them. But I don't imagine he'll wake for a while yet."

"Thanks doc, but you do know you're talking about Steve, right?" Chin raised his eyebrows as he shook his head.

"What about Danny?" Kono asked.

"I believe the nurse came and told you that Detective Williams was taken to surgery? Well it's only been an hour and I'd anticipate that with four wounds, he'll be there for sometime." Doctor Scott stood to leave. "When the surgery's over, I'll have the surgeon come and talk to you, okay?"

"Yes, thanks." Kono said as she too stood.

As the doctor opened the door, shouting could be heard from further down the hallway. "Steve," both Chin and Kono said at the same time as they ran from the room, passing the doctor, and headed for the source of all the noise.

Steve stood beside the bed being used to transport him to a room. Blood ran down his hand from where he'd ripped out an IV. The cervical collar lay on the floor beside the bed. An orderly was in front of Steve trying to calm him and make him lie down again. As Chin and Kono approached, the orderly was suddenly spun around one arm held behind his back and Steve's other arm around his neck cutting off his air supply. "I said. Where is my partner?"

Chin approached Steve, his arms out in front of him. "Steve, he can't answer you if you cut off his air supply."

Steve's head snapped up at the familiar voice. "Chin, where's Danny?"

"Let the orderly go, Steve. I'll tell you where Danny is, but only after you calm down."

"No. I need to find Danny, I have to help him. He needs me." Steve was swaying slightly now. It was obvious to all present that he wouldn't last much longer.

Kono moved closer and spoke softly to Steve. "It's okay Steve, we have your back. Danny is in good hands. You have to let this man go and get back into bed."

"Kono?" Steve blinked his eyes lazily. "I don't feel so good. But I have to find Danny. He's hurt and he needs me."

"You're hurt too, Steve." Kono was right beside Steve now. "Let go now," Slowly, Kono removed Steve's arm from the orderly's neck and managed to release the grip Steve had on the man's arm. Once the orderly moved away, Kono eased Steve back to sit on the side of the bed. "Everything will be alright, Steve. You need to rest now."

**TBC**

**A/N: **I'm not sure that counts as a cliffhanger, what do you think?


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **As usual I appreciate all the reviews, even if I didn't manage to reply to each one personally tonight. Keep them coming because I love to read them.

**Chapter Eight**

Chin and Kono walked beside Steve as he was moved to a private room. Once there, a nurse started a new IV while Doctor Scott gave Steve a once over. "Well you don't seem to have done any harm, but this collar stays on, Commander."

"I don't need it." There was a sullen look on Steve face. "I want to see Danny."

Kono took hold of Steve's hand as he pulled at the collar around his neck. She sat down on the side of the bed and ran her other hand over Steve's forehead trying to soothe him. "Danny is in surgery, Steve. He's going to be there for a while yet, so why don't you rest now, he's in good hands."

For a few seconds it looked as if Kono hadn't succeeded, but finally Steve settled more comfortably in the bed and closed his eyes. "Alright, Kono, I'll rest, for now." Steve was at the point of dropping off when his eyes flew open again. "You'll wake me when Danny's out of surgery? I want to talk to his doctor."

"I promise, I'll wake you, Steve." Kono continued her ministrations and soon Steve was asleep.

Chin followed Doctor Scott from the room. "Is it the concussion?" he asked.

"Yes, just try to keep him calm whenever he's awake. The nurses will have to wake him every two hours, but he may not remember about Danny every time, or realise how much time has past." Doctor Scott looked sceptical at his own words.

"Steve, remember doc? You're talking about Steve. He'll remember."

It was over four hours before Danny came out of surgery. Steve had been woken by the nurse twice during that time, the first time he again tried to go to Danny, but Kono managed to calm him and coax him to go back to sleep again.

Shortly after the nurse left Steve suddenly sat up in his bed and called out. "Danny!" It took both Chin and Kono to keep him in bed, and then calm him down.

"Steve, Danny's still in surgery, calm down or you'll hurt yourself." Kono tried to reason with the agitated SEAL.

"Danny died, Kono." Steve had stopped fighting now and tears ran down his face as he lay back down. "I felt Danny die." He whispered.

"What?" Kono gasped in shock.

"I'll go check. You keep him here, Kono." Chin hurried from the room in search of Doctor Scott. If Steve felt Danny die, then something must have gone wrong during surgery. He returned ten minutes later to find Steve curled on his side staring at the door, waiting for him to come back.

Chin walked up to the bed and sat down in a chair facing Steve. There was a devastated look in Steve's eyes. "He's alive, Steve. Doctor Scott checked, and there was a problem, but he's alive."

"He's alive?" Steve sighed in relief and closed his eyes. Before long he was asleep.

The second time the nurse woke Steve he was calmer and while he asked about Danny he wasn't as agitated as before.

It had only been ten minutes since Steve's last concussion check when Doctor Scott walked in with another doctor in green scrubs. Kono immediately stood from her chair and moved to Steve's bed. "Steve, wake up. Danny's surgeon is here." She said as she gently shook Steve's shoulder.

Steve blinked his eyes open and looked at Kono, then he rolled his head, as much as the collar would allow, looked at Doctor Scott and another man he assumed was Danny's surgeon.

"Commander, this is Doctor Ward. He operated on your partner." Doctor Scott introduced the man accompanying him.

"Detective Williams is in recovery at the moment. We were able to remove the bullet lodged in his shoulder and clean the other three wounds. There is still the chance of infection, especially as he was in the water for so long, but we have him on antibiotics and will be watching him closely." Dr Ward moved closer to the bed. "He's lost a lot of blood, and he did give us a scare, but I don't foresee any problems, once his blood pressure stabilizes."

"A scare?" Steve gave a nervous laugh. "You mean he died, right?"

"What? No, his heart did stop, but only for a few seconds. We got him back right away though, and everything went well after that." Dr Ward ran his hand through his hair and looked at Doctor Scott.

"How do you know he died, Commander?" Doctor Scott asked. "I only told Chin that there'd been a problem, not what the problem was."

"I felt it doc." Steve intoned. "I felt Danny die."

The doctors exchanged a look, but neither knew what to say.

Chin broke the silence that descended on the room. "Where will Danny be moved to once he's out of recovery?"

"Because of the storm the hospital is overrun with patients at the moment, so we will be moving Detective Williams in here." Doctor Scott answered Chin's question. "This is normally a private room, but there is space for another bed, and I know you will want to see him sooner, rather that later."

"How long?" Steve asked.

"I'd say within the hour." Doctor Ward answered.

"Thank you." Chin said as both doctors turned to leave.

"Go back to sleep, Steve. At least until Danny's brought in." Kono again sat beside Steve running her hand over his hair to relax him.

"No, first I need to know what happened on that boat, Kono. How did Danny get shot?"

Kono sighed, she knew Steve would want to know what happened, but thought she'd have a while longer before she'd have to tell him Danny was shot saving her.

It didn't take long for Kono to tell both Steve and Chin the details of the confrontation on the boat. Kono finished up by saying. "He's been around you too long, Steve. That move Danny pulled was out of your SEAL handbook."

"I, for one, am glad he's been around Steve, because he saved your life, cus." Chin put his arm around Kono and hugged her to him.

"Yeah, me too. Thanks, Kono, Chin. Thanks for being here." Steve relaxed again and immediately fell asleep.

Danny was brought in 45 minutes later. Once he'd been settled, Kono woke Steve so he could see his partner was truly alright.

The beds had been placed next to each other with only a night table between, as there was only just enough room for the two of them. Danny had a nasal cannula providing him with oxygen, and two IV's. One with fluids and antibiotics, the other a blood transfusion, there was also a blood pressure cuff around his right arm.

Doctor Scott had followed Danny's bed into the room, and once he had checked Danny's vitals and was satisfied, he turned to Steve who lay watching him.

"He's doing well, Commander. The nurses in recovery had him awake earlier, but he's asleep now." He indicated the bag of blood suspended from the IV pole. "This is the last bag. His pressure is almost back to normal. His temp is slightly elevated, but that's nothing to worry about at this point. If it increases, or spikes, then we may have to rethink the antibiotics he's on. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now he's where he should be with the injuries he received." Doctor Scott moved to the door. "I strongly suggest you rest."

"Thanks, doc, I will." Steve said his eyes still on his partner.

**TBC**

**A/N: **Okay, so definitely not a cliffhanger this time.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **This is it, the final chapter. I hope you have all enjoyed the ride as much as I have. Once again, thank you everyone for all the reviews, especially the guests who I cannot reply too.

**Chapter Nine**

Danny woke slowly. At first he wasn't sure where he was or what had happened to him. It was very quiet so he blinked open his eyes to see if he was alone. The first person he saw was Chin who was asleep in an uncomfortable looking chair, his head at an angle that would hurt when he woke. Hospital then, Danny thought.

If Chin sat with him, then where was Steve? Danny's heart rate increased as his thoughts went back to the ride in Steve's truck. It had crashed, he remembered that, and he also remembered the feeling of flying forward off the seat, Steve holding him tightly and falling with him.

Danny turned his head and was rewarded with the sight of Steve asleep in the bed beside his. Kono was looking steadily back at him from the other side of Steve's bed.

Kono put her finger to her lips, rose from her chair and walked around to stand between the two beds next to Danny. "Steve's just got back to sleep after his last concussion check." Kono spoke quietly.

"Is he alright?" Danny asked equally as quiet.

"Yes. He has a concussion and whiplash to his neck; hence the collar, but he'll be okay." Kono sat on the side of Danny's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly, I feel pretty good." Danny shifted slightly in the bed to get more comfortable. "But I'm really tired."

"Go back to sleep then, Danny. Everything's alright now." Kono ran her hand over Danny's hair as she'd done for Steve earlier. Soon Danny was asleep again.

Chin had woken while Kono and Danny spoke, but he remained quiet until Danny was asleep. "You'd make a good mother, Kono. You managed to keep them both calm and even got them to sleep."

"Maybe some day I will, Chin." Kono got up from Danny's bed and walked around to where Chin sat. "Listen, the rains stopped hitting the window, I think the worst of the storm has passed. We need to go secure the governor's boat and deal with the bodies."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll give Duke a call, get him to swing by and pick us up. He needs to know about Koea and what happened on that boat." Chin stood and walked to the door. "You go tell Doctor Scott we're leaving and to call if anything changes with these two." He indicated the sleeping partners.

"Okay, I'll meet you downstairs at the main doors." The cousins left the room together but separated in the hallway, each going their own way.

Ten minutes later they were riding with Duke on the way back to Waikiki Marina. "You're certain Koea was there to shake down Phula?" Duke questioned once Kono explained what had transpired on the boat.

"Koea was dead when we arrived, but Phula said he had tried to muscle in on his operation. I'm sorry, Duke." Kono replied from the back seat of the blue and white police car.

"His wife just had a baby, and the child is ill." Duke was still in shock from hearing that Koea was on the take. "This will be devastating for them."

"Has there ever been anything else to suggest Koea was bad?" Chin asked.

"No, he always was an honest person. He could be a little intolerant of Haole's, yes, but never anything else." They pulled into the marina lot and parked next to Danny's Camaro.

"Look, Duke." Chin put a restraining hand on Duke's shoulder as the older man turned to exit the car. "Phula could have been lying, we don't know for sure that Koea did anything wrong. I think we should keep this out of any reports." Chin turned to look at Kono. "What do you say, cus?"

"I agree, Chin. Koea's wife has already lost her husband. She doesn't deserve to lose anything else."

"What about Detective Williams?" Duke asked. "He heard the same thing as you, Kono, and what about Commander McGarrett?"

"Danny will be cool with this, and if he agrees to leave it out of the report, then Steve will agree, too." Kono was sure Danny would agree.

"Good," Chin said. "So we're agreed? Koea arrived first and went aboard the boat without backup and Phula killed him."

Kono nodded her agreement, while Duke clasped Chin's hand and said, "Thank you."

Doctor Scott woke Steve for his next concussion check as he wanted to assess him with a view to releasing him in the morning. "I think you'll be okay to go home tomorrow, Commander. Provided you have someone to stay with you for the first twenty-four hours?"

"Chin will probably stay with me, where are Chin and Kono, doc?"

"They left to go back to the marina, now the storm has passed. Something about securing the crime scene I think. I'm not sure if they'll come back this evening, it's already getting late." Doctor Scott moved over to check on Danny as he spoke.

"How is he, doc?" Steve used the bed control to raise himself up to an almost seated position as he watched the doctor check Danny's vitals.

"He's good. No increase in temperature and his blood pressure is back to normal."

"Quit talking about me as if I'm not here." Danny growled.

"I'm sorry, Detective, I didn't realise you were awake." Doctor Scott apologized. "I'll be releasing your partner tomorrow morning, and I think you may be able to go home the morning after that."

"That's good, 'cause I hate hospitals." Danny smiled at Doctor Scott. "Can I have some time alone with my Neanderthal partner over there, doc? He and I need to have a conversation."

"Sure thing, Detective, I'm changing his concussion checks to every four hours for the night, so that'll give you two lots of time to talk." Doctor Scott left the room.

"I thought you trusted in my skill as a detective, Steve?" As he spoke Danny turned slightly onto his right side so he could look at his partner.

"I do, Danny. I'm sorry about this morning, I was wrong." Steve spoke apologetically.

"Yes, you were, but what hurt the most was that you didn't even give me a chance to explain what I'd found on Phula. You just took the governor's word that it couldn't be him." Danny spoke calmly, and quietly.

In all the time he'd known Danny, Steve knew that when he was calm and quiet things were really bad. "I should have put Koea through to you. I should have known when he called me instead of you that something was wrong. If you'd told me you were having trouble with some of the HPD officers, Koea in particular, none of this would have happened."

"Oh, no, you don't, you are not making this my fault. You were an insensitive jerk this morning, the sooner you admit that, the sooner we can get past this."

"Okay, okay, you're right, I was an insensitive jerk." Steve sighed. "Happy now?"

"Yes, yes I am." Danny smiled at Steve. "Thank you for getting me out of that boat, Steve."

"I'll always come to you when you're in trouble, Danny. You know that, don't you?"

"I do know that, Steve, because you and I have a connection. We may not be able to explain it to others, or even to ourselves, but we do have a connection." Danny caught a look that crossed Steve's face. He had a hard time putting a name to it, but if he had to he'd say it was loss. "What, what's that face about?"

"I don't have a face, Danny."

"I beg to differ, you do have a face, and that one was not good." Danny continued to look at Steve, but he received no reply. "Tell me what happened. Something happened to put that look on your face."

Steve sighed, he knew he'd have to tell Danny or he'd never let it go. "Your heart stopped during surgery. I …" He couldn't finish the rest, he couldn't tell Danny he'd felt him die.

"Oh. You felt it?" Steve nodded. "You thought I died?" Steve nodded again. "I'm sorry, Steve." Danny couldn't think of anything else to say right now.

The two partners looked at each other for a few minutes before Danny suddenly said. "Why'd you push me away when you were stuck on the stairs?"

"What?" Danny's words had Steve momentarily at a loss.

"You pushed me away, as if you wanted me to leave you there." Danny persisted.

"I wanted you to be safe, Danny."

"At the expense of losing you? No! You're an idiot Steve." Danny was starting to get worked up now. "I could never have left you stuck there to drown. Where do you get off thinking that I could?"

"I don't know, Danny. Put it down to a lack of oxygen." Steve smiled, he hated a quiet Danny. Now this was more like it.

"I think your brain has a permanent lack of oxygen then, because it's always making stupid decisions like that." Danny was also smiling now. It felt good to argue with his partner. It's what they did.

"Thanks for saving me Danny." Steve's smile was even bigger when his partner replied.

"Didn't what to have to break in a new partner, that's all."

"Love you too, Danno."

Chin and Kono stood on either side of the door to their teammate's hospital room. They'd arrived back just in time to here the conversation between the partner's, and it only took one shared look for them both to stay out of sight, until the conversation reached a conclusion. At Steve's last remark they smiled at each other.

"Good to have them back to normal." Chin whispered.

Kono nodded as the two moved into the room. After everything that had happened today, she was glad that they were all safe and that Steve and Danny would get through this and be back to normal.

**The End**


End file.
